The next day, the morning sky was awash with rosy clouds.
The eastern horizon had been dyed a brilliant orange-red. The layers of clouds looked as if they had been scorched by flames, their colors vivid and varied.
Since the competition was officially starting that day, Bibi Dong had made a point of getting up early and going to Zhao Linchuan's home.
She pushed open the courtyard gate, crossed the yard, and headed straight for the bedroom.
The bedroom door was ajar. She pushed it open gently and went inside.
"Hmm...?!"
Bibi Dong stopped in her tracks. Two people were lying on the bed—no, wait... three.
Zhao Linchuan lay in the middle, with one Yan Lingji on his left and another Yan Lingji on his right.
The two Yan Lingjis nestled against Zhao Linchuan on either side, sleeping peacefully.
"What's going on?" Bibi Dong asked, puzzled, her voice tinged with confusion. "Why are there two older sisters, Ling Ji?"
The Yan Lingji on the left stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and said sleepily,
"Oh, it's Dong'er? I lost a little game while playing with my husband yesterday, so I gave him a reward."
She pulled her hand back and glanced at the "herself" on the right before explaining, "That's my physical clone."
"Oh..." Bibi Dong nodded as realization dawned on her. Her gaze swept over the three people on the bed, and her expression turned a little strange.
"Why are you up so early?" Zhao Linchuan poked his head out from under the covers too. He squinted at the window and yawned. "It's barely light out."
"The competition starts today. I couldn't sleep."
Bibi Dong took a step back and headed for the door.
"Then you can rest a little longer. I'll go make you breakfast."
With that, she closed the door and stepped outside.
Her footsteps faded down the corridor, and the faint clatter of pots and pans came from the kitchen.
In the bedroom,
the "Yan Lingji" on the right slowly opened her eyes and sat up.
She looked at Yan Lingji's original body, still lounging in bed, then glanced toward the door. Her voice held a hint of resentment and displeasure.
"I never get to do the good stuff. When there's something bad, I'm always the one sent to take the fall!"
"You can't get pregnant, so what do you need the good stuff for?"
Yan Lingji's original body wriggled over to lean against the headboard and tugged the covers over her chest, speaking in a lazy drawl.
"Come back. I'll let you out for some fresh air next time."
"I'd rather not come out at all!"
The clone chided her, then turned into a streak of white light and slipped into Yan Lingji's body.
The scene shifted.
Zhao Linchuan and the two women had finished breakfast and were now on their way to the competition venue.
Today's competition was outside Spirit City, in a mountain-ringed basin a hundred li west of the city.
Qian Xunji had ordered countless spectator stands carved into the surrounding slopes. They rose in tier after tier from the foot of the mountains to halfway up, with enough seats to hold four or five hundred thousand spectators.
Anyone could enter the stands to watch, no matter who they were, for the price of a single Gold Soul Coin.
A Gold Soul Coin wasn't exactly cheap for ordinary people, but it was still affordable.
All they had to do was grit their teeth and pay up to witness a contest between the finest young Soul Masters of the age. However you looked at it, it was worth the price.
The official road leading to the venue was packed with people.
"There are so many people," Bibi Dong murmured, looking at the endless stream around them. "I've never seen this many people near Spirit City."
"They've come from every corner of the land," Zhao Linchuan said as he walked beside her, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowds. "Once they go home and tell everyone the results of today's competition,"
"it won't be long before your name is known across the continent."
"Hehe, then I'll have to put on a good show." Bibi Dong laughed brightly, brimming with eager excitement. "I'll show everyone just how formidable this Holy Maiden is."
"Then you two can fight over that," Yan Lingji said, walking on Zhao Linchuan's other side, her tone calm. "I'm not interested in this sort of thing anyway."
As they spoke, the three of them arrived at the competition venue.
The grounds covered more than ten thousand square meters and were paved entirely with Adamantine Rock, hard as iron and smooth as a mirror.
Soul Tools had divided the arena into nine equal sections. Transparent Soul Power barriers separated them, keeping the matches from interfering with one another without blocking the spectators' view.
The central area had been specially raised to offer the best view. Disciples from the various factions had used tables and chairs to carve it up, without a word, into countless resting areas of all shapes and sizes.
Everyone wanted a good spot, and no one was willing to give way. The competition hadn't even started, and they were already arguing.
"Hmph! My Clear Sky Sect is the greatest sect in the world!"
Tang Hao's voice rang out from the crowd, loud, arrogant, and domineering.
Facing two Spirit Hall staff members, he folded his arms across his chest and declared proudly,
"Why should we have to take the same resting area as those third-rate sects?"
"Contestant, please calm down."
The Spirit Hall staff member's face had darkened, as if he were struggling to hold something back.
"Your Clear Sky Sect has already taken the resting areas of four or five other sects. If you keep this up..."
"So what?"
Tang Hao cut him off before he could finish, his voice tinged with disdain and contempt.
"They came here just to make up the numbers. The fact that my Clear Sky Sect allows them to share our resting area is already a favor."
"Well now..." A clear voice came from outside the crowd. "If it isn't Tang Chen's good-for-nothing son?"
The crowd parted on its own, and Zhao Linchuan and the two women sauntered over.
"What did you say?!"
Tang Hao's expression changed in an instant. He spun around, fixed Zhao Linchuan with a knife-sharp glare, and shouted,
"Say that again if you've got the guts!"
"What? Are you hard of hearing?"
Zhao Linchuan stopped and deliberately raised his voice, as if he wanted to make sure everyone heard him.
"I said—when Tang Chen went knocking on his daughter-in-law's door in the dead of night, did he leave in such a hurry that he forgot to give you ears?"
"Hahaha...!"
The young Soul Masters watching nearby burst out laughing.
Their laughter crackled like firecrackers catching fire, sending people doubling over.
The older Soul Masters tried hard to stifle their laughter, but their twitching mouths, shaking shoulders, and contorted faces gave them away.
After all, anyone who could say this to the Clear Sky Sect's face deserved a laugh. If you didn't laugh, you were probably depressed.
"You bastard!!"
Tang Hao flew into a rage. A flash of black light appeared in his hand, and the Clear Sky Hammer was already in his grip.
The enormous hammerhead gleamed with a cold light in the morning sun. Its patterns resembled savage veins, radiating a pressure that made the heart tremble.
He raised the Clear Sky Hammer and pointed it straight at Zhao Linchuan, his voice hoarse with fury.
"Kid! I'll teach you a lesson today!"
"I'll show you what happens when you run your mouth!"
"Who are you planning to teach a lesson to...?"
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